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1.18.2012

Pasteur Vietnamese

Australia really is quite a place to get authentic Asian food. Given its strategic location smacked in the Asia Pacific region combined with a huge influx of immigrants from its neighboring country, Australia is far from being deprived of Southeast Asian cuisine that stays true to its authentic roots. Sydney is home to a large proportion of population that are of Vietnamese descent. While most of the Vietnamese restaurants are centered in the suburb of Cabramatta, luckily for those who do not wish to venture out of the Central Business District there is Pasteur Vietnamese Restaurant.

As always, the way to judge pho is by its broth since, well, broth is everything when it comes to pho. I really like the broth turned out. Despite its darker color, the taste was not too intense and there was a very nice balance if I had to rate it between light and heavy tasting. I actually found the taste to be somewhere in between what one would call northern pho (light and clear broth) and southern pho (darker broth with an emphasis on herb spices), both which I've had in San Francisco. If I could only say a few words for Pasteur's pho, it would be that I really really liked it. The bowl of piping hot noodles with broth was a winner with the tendon, brisket, steak, beef balls, and tripe.

The special combination of grilled pork with broken rice was a delight on its own. The portion was more than huge but it was so tasty that T tried his best to stomach as much as he could, never mind the jetlag that sometimes has its way in affecting our appetites.